Debris may yield information on possible pipe bomb
Gilroy – The explosion that rocked several south Gilroy companies Saturday was a crime, say police, and the device may have been a pipe bomb.
“We have several investigative leads we’re pursuing,” said Gilroy Sgt. Kurt Svardal, who said the explosion was not chemical in origin. “The businesses out there are very cooperative.”
The blast originated near Suite G, the site of Energy House, said Svardal, who initially misidentified the primary explosion site as Mercury Plumbing (Suite H.) Though Mercury Plumbing, like MPE Plastics (Suite E) and Larson Steel, Inc., located across the street, was named as a victim of the incident, most evidence was found outside the building, in front of Energy House, Svardal explained. The FBI and Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are also investigating.
Energy House’s general manager, who asked not to be named, described the explosive as a pipe bomb – an assessment Svardal said was “a possibility, for sure.”
The manager said he had “no clue” why someone might target the business.
The explosion literally knocked neighbor Sandor Kuna out of his chair. Pictures fell from the office walls. His cat bolted, and Kuna hasn’t seen it since.
“People two blocks away heard it and came over,” said Kuna, owner of MPE Plastics. He believes he was the only person in the building. “It sounded like a small plane crash. My landlord’s son said it shook him two buildings away.”
Kuna was working on his office computer about 1pm Saturday when the explosion rocked 5750 Obata Way, a boxy industrial building divided into lettered offices. Smoke rose around the building, then fell slowly to the street, he recalled. A passing car stopped, and its driver dialed 911. On the street, people began to gather, as fire crews, police and sheriffs rushed to the scene.
“I thought something landed on the roof, so I didn’t sniff around too much,” said Kuna. “I never thought it’d be something like a bomb.”
But it might be. Police say the blast was no accident, and are investigating it as a crime.
“It’s an unusual crime,” Svardal said. “We don’t often have explosions in town.”
Police spent nearly seven hours collecting debris at the scene Saturday. Metal shrapnel and objects hurled several hundred feet by the blast could provide clues to the culprit, said Svardal.
